The use of satire to communicate science in ‘Don't look up’

Abstract

Satire has long been used as a tool in social commentary and political communication, and in some cases this has extended to commentary about science and its role in policy. This is certainly the case for the recent Adam McKay film, ‘Don't look up’, where an allegorical story about a comet heading for Earth is used to satirise the current political and media response to the climate catastrophe. While the film succeeds in making its point, how the humour interacts with objectives of science communication highlights some risks of using satire where there's overlap between the subject of the satire and a potential audience for communication.

Eudaimonic entertainment as new Enlightenment: Critical thinking as a mind-set effect of narratives

“…As a satire, the film criticizes the slow and ideologically biased responses to climate change, the lack of mitigation efforts and capitalism ruthlessly extracting financial gain from climate change, as well as the corruption of politics and media to use or ignore climate change for their purposes (Doyle, 2022;Guenther and Granert, 2022). The film reaches its satirical goals, but runs the risk of alienating the audience by making fun of its very viewers (Little, 2022). The film, turned out to be one of the most successful releases on Netflix (Buxton, 2022).…”

“…Thus, fictional narratives more often than not have ambiguous messages. This is especially true for satirical formats where irony, exaggeration and caricature leave it up to the viewer to decide what exactly is criticized and what exactly is supported by the narrative (Little, 2022). Again, clear targets of the satire help achieve effects in the intended direction.…”

The science communication of ‘Don't Look Up ’

“…They also reflect on how the film serves as a metaphor for communicating climate science. The commentaries include critique on the use of satire [Little, 2022] and reflections about the film's representations of science and risk [Guenther & Granert, 2022], climate science and activism [Doyle, 2022], science denial [Mede, 2022], scientists [Chambers, 2022], and the news media [Fahy, 2022]. Together, the commentaries provide insight into how the film converges with science communication issues and theory.…”

“…Conversely, the film has also been criticised for its lack of subtlety in its satire. In this set of commentaries, Little [2022] explores how this simultaneous lack of explicit messaging and its lack of subtlety in its metaphor might alienate potential audiences in different ways. Firstly, audiences may feel like they are outside of the joke if they do not have the necessary knowledge to access the humour (e.g.…”

“…While Little [2022] points to problems for science communication when viewers may feel ridiculed as the subject of satire, Doyle [2022] points to the film's inclusiveness, with the audience complicit in the story, but sees other problems; the film does not propose an alternative reality where the situation is resolved. Doyle [2022] also highlights areas where the film successfully mirrors real-world trends in communication and activism around the climate emergency.…”